Jimmy Wales

EXCLUSIVE

Founder, Wikipedia, World's 5th Most Visited Website

Founder, Wikitribune

U.S. Internet Entrepreneur and Wiki Pioneer

One of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”

Leading technology futurist and Wikipedia and WikiTribune Founder Jimmy Wales is one of the most sought after visionaries in business and technology. Wikipedia is the 5th Most Popular Website in the WORLD, moving towards the goal of free access for all to the sum of human knowledge. WikiTribune is a groundbreaking ad-free global news platform, providing evidence-based journalism at a time when the world sorely needs it. When audiences meet Wales, outspoken and defiant in his protection of transformative ideas, they understand why he is compared to historic greats like Gutenberg. Hailed as “thoughtful and visionary,” “inspiring,” and “absolutely WONDERFUL,” event planners cite Wales’ optimism for the future and masterful ability to speak on issues ranging from censorship, Artificial Intelligence, automation, the media, and disruption, as elements that make him a standout speaker.

Named one of TIME’s "100 Most Influential People," Jimmy Wales was also acknowledged by the World Economic Forum — the foremost global gathering of political, business and cultural leaders — as one of the top 250 leaders across the world for his professional accomplishments, his commitment to society, and his potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world.

You will hear from one of our agents in the next 24 hours. If you have any other questions or information, please call us right away at 646.227.4900. Are you also interested in learning more about other speakers? Create a My Speaker List.

Rave Reviews About Jimmy Wales

“

I would like to thank you for all your efforts and help. The conference was a huge success. The participation of Mr. Wales was very much appreciated by the audience. His presentation inspired many. The tweets left no question on that. We hope to be able to work with you again next year.

Jimmy Wales speaks on a wide range of issues surrounding the future of technology, shedding light on the opportunities and threats for businesses and organizations in a globally connected world. Speaking fluidly about artificial intelligence, automation, and other new technologies that lie at the he ...

Jimmy Wales speaks on a wide range of issues surrounding the future of technology, shedding light on the opportunities and threats for businesses and organizations in a globally connected world. Speaking fluidly about artificial intelligence, automation, and other new technologies that lie at the heart of disruption, Mr. Wales illuminates how open-source, open-content technology is changing the face of the internet and how businesses can adapt in order to compete and innovate. He reveals opportunities in tapping into new technologies—whether implementing new collaborative tools, or cutting-edge ways to interact with customers, distributors, and suppliers—to ultimately reveal what is needed to thrive in a Wiki future.

AI, Blockchain & The Future of Tech

One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, Jimmy Wales has been in-demand at the biggest blockchain and AI conferences worldwide, including BlockShow Europe, the Digital Innovation Forum and Blockchain Institute. A bold and and optimistic tech entrepreneur, Wales sheds ligh ...

One of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology, Jimmy Wales has been in-demand at the biggest blockchain and AI conferences worldwide, including BlockShow Europe, the Digital Innovation Forum and Blockchain Institute. A bold and and optimistic tech entrepreneur, Wales sheds light on the opportunities and threats of blockchain technology and automation, highlighting how organizations can adapt to compete and take advantage of the next wave of business disruption. His insightful commentary on the limitations of blockchain, and where the technology proves most helpful, regularly make headlines as he remains at the vanguard of innovation.

Facts Matter: The WikiTribune Story

In the age of “fake news,” Jimmy Wales reports from the front lines of the information wars to share the groundbreaking concept behind his revolutionary project: WikiTribune, an ad-free global news platform that aims to address the idea that, “the news is broken and we can fix it.” In this fascinati ...

In the age of “fake news,” Jimmy Wales reports from the front lines of the information wars to share the groundbreaking concept behind his revolutionary project: WikiTribune, an ad-free global news platform that aims to address the idea that, “the news is broken and we can fix it.” In this fascinating, timely talk, Wales reveals the keys to WikiTriubune’s model and success, offering insights into the future of technology and how journalism can survive. As citizens’ demand for reliable, fact-based journalism grows ever-louder, Wales is at the forefront of innovation, addressing concerns and blazing a path forward that will reshape news media.

Cybersecurity in the Digital Age

In this insightful speech, Jimmy Wales tackles the topic of cybersecurity and how it poses a threat to his vision of a globally connected world with free access to the sum of human knowledge. He addresses the dangers of government snooping, the value of encryption, and the negative impact of cyberse ...

In this insightful speech, Jimmy Wales tackles the topic of cybersecurity and how it poses a threat to his vision of a globally connected world with free access to the sum of human knowledge. He addresses the dangers of government snooping, the value of encryption, and the negative impact of cybersecurity failures on freedom of expression and democracy.

Global Democracy and the Internet

Freedom of speech and the distribution of knowledge is the foundation of Wikipedia. Mr. Wales predicts that the internet will democratize developing countries by making the world ‘flat,’ opening markets, promoting cultural understanding, and giving developing nations the resources they n ...

Freedom of speech and the distribution of knowledge is the foundation of Wikipedia. Mr. Wales predicts that the internet will democratize developing countries by making the world ‘flat,’ opening markets, promoting cultural understanding, and giving developing nations the resources they need to compete in the 21st century. With current total Internet usage by one billion people set to double in the next five to 10 years (with the majority of new users arising from developing nations), Mr. Wales asserts that internet will combat stereotypes, censorship, media control, and monopolies while simultaneously allowing citizens of developing nations to have a more prominent voice. As Mr. Wales states: "It does not take a lot of technology to foster open dialog and debate. Even the simplest technologies like mailing lists, wikis, blogs can help a lot. What is needed mostly, I think, is more content in local languages, and support from people around the world to help others join in the global conversation."

Learn more about Jimmy Wales

Follow

Featured News

Jimmy Wales sought-out for insights on business, disruption, and innovation

Wikipedia and Wikitribune Founder JIMMY WALES made headlines following his keynote and shrewd commentary at BlockShow, the biggest crypto conference in Europe. Delivering a keynote for 3,000 attendees as the headliner for the event, Wales opened up about the role of failure in spurring true innovation and shared analysis on the bitcoin craze, calling crypto “a bubble.” His comments made headlines in Cointelegraph, EconoTimes, and more, and in a follow-up interview he further delved into blockchain and its applications beyond the bitcoin space. A sought-out expert on innovation and decoding the future of tech, Wales also recently headlined the Sime Summer Conference and CMPC’s Innovation Week. Thanks to his signature combination of eye-opening insights and approachable speaking style, Wales consistently receives rave reviews such as: "We were all so thrilled with Jimmy. He was so open and dedicated to share with us, McCann people, media, students and the keynote audience such inspiring stories about him… We were all inspired in such a fantastic way by his presence here" (McCann/Thiess); "Jimmy was really great. Of course he is smart, thoughtful and visionary, all which worked well on our campus. But his presentation was well constructed, interactive and engaging. He definitely connected with our students…” (Stanford University); "Jimmy's speech was great and we also received very good feedback from the sponsors... Looking forward to collaborating again in the future" (World Business Forum).

Artificial Intelligence & Digital Disruption

As technological developments continue at break neck speeds, impacting businesses across industries and fundamentally changing the way we work, consume and live, these HWA experts are qualified to address questions at the at the top of business leaders' and employees' minds. Whether shedding light on both the opportunities and threats in automation, revealing the next wave in artificial intelligence, or preparing your business for the impacts of disruption, HWA represents some of the leading minds of the new economy and tech.

After a series of recent high-profile hacks, cybersecurity sits squarely at the top of company and organization to-do lists. HWA represents leading cyber experts who can address the broad spectrum of challenges involved in cybersecurity—from prevention and detection to recovery—and are able to shed light on the impacts of this crucial, ever-evolving issue.

Jimmy Wales makes headlines for his sharp analysis on the latest tech trends

Sought-out for an interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Wikipedia Founder JIMMY WALESprovided sharp analysis of new tech trends, such as cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Calling initial coin offerings (ICOs)—currently one of the hottest trends in cryptocurrency, as highlighted in an October Economist article— an “absolute scam,” while explaining that blockchain technology will “be with us for some time to come," Wales instantly made headlines in industry outlets such as Hacked, TechJuice, CoinDesk, and many more. Wales’ interview came during the 2017 GSAM Symposium, the flagship event in Europe for Goldman Sachs, where Wales was selected to speak on trust in the media and the rise of “fake news.” Having just founded a revolutionary global news platform, WikiTribune, in his presentation Wales reported from the front lines of the information wars to share what’s at stake and what is on the horizon.

Jimmy Wales has audiences raving (and tweeting) at the World Business Forum Sydney

Delivering a keynote at the World Business Forum in Sydney, Wikipedia and Wikitribune founder JIMMY WALES informed and inspired an audience of some 2,000 business leaders from across the globe. Drawing on his experience as an internet entrepreneur and pioneer—and one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”—Wales shed light on the opportunities and threats for business leaders in a globally connected world, and how organizations can adapt to compete and innovate in a world that is increasingly open and collaborative. Providing tangible takeaways and fascinating anecdotes, Wales revealed how businesses need to rethink their strategies and highlighted new technologies that lie at the heart of business disruption. Throughout the forum, Wales drew high praise from the audience on Twitter: “…The genius of @jimmy_wales. IQ of Sydney up this week with him in town. Honoured”; “Jimmy Wales inspirational @WOBI Where every person on planet given free access to sum of all human knowledge”; “Well done @jimmy_wales of @Wikipedia, even with the challenge of a mid-presentation fire drill you managed to engage and excite the audience.” Wales also sat down for several insightful interviews during the Forum, including one on the democratization of tech, and another on the rapidly evolving media landscape with The Capital Network.

Jimmy Wales launches revolutionary news platform, Wikitribune

Wikipedia founder JIMMY WALES has launched Wikitribune, an ad-free global news platform that aims to address the idea that “the news is broken and we can fix it.” In a video that describes the goal of the game-changing site, Wales explains how the digitalization of journalism and reliance on advertisers has led to a rapid decrease in the quality of the news. Wikitribune will address these issues, pairing professional standards-based journalism with a team of dedicated community contributors and a crowdfunded business model, ensuring articles are fact-checked and un-biased, sources are transparent, and users have the ability to flag and contribute to the articles they read. Instantly making headlines on virtually every major news site, from The BBC and CNBC to TIME and Fox, Wales’ new project will revolutionize the world just as Wikipedia—the world’s fifth most visited website—did 16 years ago. As citizens’ demand for reliable, fact-based journalism grows ever-louder amid increasingly uncertain and polarized political times, Jimmy Wales is at the forefront of innovation, addressing concerns and blazing a path forward that will reshape news media.

As the Founder of Wikipedia, a platform with over 400 million unique visitors every month, JIMMY WALES is a leading voice in the future of business and technology with a talent for bringing his unique insights and inspirational stories to life for any audience. From speeches at the nation’s most prestigious universities to international forums with hundreds of world leaders and industry experts, Wales leaves audiences in awe and event planners proud. Among the overwhelming praise: “We were all so thrilled with Jimmy. He was so open and dedicated to share with us… We were all inspired in such a fantastic way by his presence here” (McCann/Thiess), “After we opened up the invitation, we filled the auditorium and had an overflowing room” (CATO Institute), “Jimmy Wales was absolutely WONDERFUL!... He is such a kind and eloquent man… The feedback we’ve received has been outstanding!” (Night of Innovation). With plans to continue improving Wikipedia’s diversity and accessibility, Wales’ prominence as a thought leader who truly shapes modern society will only continue to expand.

Ranked by Forbes Magazine as a “Web Celeb”, Jimmy Donal Wales is a U.S. Internet entrepreneur, wiki pioneer, and technology visionary, who is best known as the Founder of Wikipedia, an international collaborative free content encyclopedia on the Internet, and the Wikimedia Foundation. He is also the founder of WikiTribune, a groundbreaking ad-free news platform that produces evidence-based journalism, and co-founder of Wikia, a privately owned free web hosting service he set up in 2004.

The origins of Wikipedia began in March 2000, when Mr. Wales started Nupedia (“the free encyclopedia”), which was characterized by an extensive peer-review process designed to make its articles of a quality comparable to that of professional encyclopedias. With the addition of wikis (a collection of web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content), the project was dubbed “Wikipedia.” Mr. Wales laid down the founding principles and content, establishing an Internet-based community of contributors during that year. Wikipedia was initially intended to be a wiki-based site for collaboration on early encyclopedic content for submission to Nupedia, but Wikipedia's rapid growth quickly overshadowed Nupedia's development.

In a 2004 interview with Slashdot, Mr. Wales explained his motivations about Wikipedia, “Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we're doing.”

The success of the project has helped popularize a trend in web development (called Web 2.0) that aims to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing among users. As Wikipedia expanded and its public profile grew, Mr. Wales took on the role of the project's spokesperson and promoter through speaking engagements and media appearances. His work with Wikipedia, which has become the world's largest encyclopedia, prompted TIME Magazine to name him one of its “100 Most Influential People,” in 2006 in the “Scientists & Thinkers” category.

In 2003, Mr. Wales founded the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to providing the full content of these wiki-based projects to the public free of charge. The Wikimedia Foundation operates some of the largest collaboratively edited reference projects in the world, including Wikipedia, the 5th most popular website in the world.

In 2004, Wales co-founded, with Angela Beesley, the for-profit company Wikia, Inc. Wikia is a wiki farm — a collection of individual wikis on different subjects, all hosted on the same website. As part of his work at Wikia, Inc., Mr. Wales is developing a human-powered search engine, Search Wikia, which will be based on the same open, transparent, community-driven principles of Wikia and Wikipedia.

In 2017, Wales founded WikiTribune, an ad-free global news platform that aims to address the idea that “the news is broken and we can fix it.” By pairing standards-based journalism with a team of dedicated community contributors and a crowdfunded business model, WikiTribune ensures articles are fact-checked and un-biased, sources are transparent, and users have the ability to flag and contribute to the articles they read. As citizens’ demand for reliable, fact-based journalism grows ever-louder, Wales is blazing a path forward that will reshape news media.

Mr. Wales is a Fellow of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School. He serves on the Board of Directors of Socialtext, a provider of wiki technology to businesses and the non-profit organization Creative Commons. Mr. Wales has received an honorary doctorate from numerous academic institutions, including Knox College of Illinois where he was presented with a Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Maastricht University, where he received the Common Wealth Award of Distinguished Service.

Mr. Wales received his bachelor's degree in finance from Auburn University and started with the Ph.D. finance program at the University of Alabama, where he left with a Master's. After that, he took courses offered in the Ph.D. finance program at Indiana University. He taught at both universities during his postgraduate studies, but did not write the doctoral dissertation required to earn a Ph.D.